Adjoining Land Research Articles

Inventory Studies on Various Livelihood Activities along with Agroforestry Techniques in the Adjoining Land of Fringe areas for Restoration of the Sunderbans under HumidClimate in India

Inventory Studies on Various Livelihood Activities along with Agroforestry Techniques in the Adjoining Land of Fringe areas for Restoration of the Sunderbans under HumidClimate in India

Localised Badger Culling Increases Risk of Herd Breakdown on Nearby, Not Focal, Land.

Bovine tuberculosis is an important disease affecting the UK livestock industry. Controlling bovine tuberculosis (TB) is made more complex by the presence of a wildlife host, the Eurasian badger, Meles meles. Repeated large-scale badger culls implemented in the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) were associated with decreased cattle risks inside the culling area, but also with increased cattle risks up to the 2km outside the culling area. Intermediate reductions in badger density, as achieved by localised reactive culling in the RBCT, significantly increased cattle TB. Using a matched-pairs case-control study design (n = 221 pairs of cattle herds), we investigated the spatial scale over which localised badger culling had its biggest impact. We found that reactive badger culling had a significant positive association with the risk of cattle TB at distances of 1-3km and 3-5km, and that no such association existed over shorter distances (<1km). These findings indicate that localised badger culls had significant negative effects, not on the land on which culling took place, but, perhaps more importantly, on adjoining lands and farms.

Forest loss increases insect herbivory levels in human-altered landscapes

Insect herbivory has been observed to be affected by habitat loss and fragmentation, although the mechanisms by which these anthropogenic disturbances affect this process are not well understood. To aid in clarifying this issue, we assessed the relation between forest cover and leaf damage caused by herbivorous insects on a representative tropical forest understory plant family, the Rubiaceae. We measured leaf area loss of Rubiaceae plants in 20 forest sites located in the Brazilian Atlantic forest, and also tested whether variation in forest cover, abundance of insectivorous birds (predators) and of Rubiaceae plants (resources) could explain the observed variation in leaf damage. Herbivory levels varied between 2.6 and 12.5 percent leaf area lost and increased with decreasing forest cover, whereas the other explanatory variables did not provide additional explanatory power. Therefore, forest loss appears to be the main driver of changes in local herbivory, and ecological processes such as top-down and bottom-up control may not account for the deforestation-related increase in herbivory levels. Other mechanisms, for example leaf quality and/or the influence of the adjoining land uses, have to be explored in future studies.

Production possibility frontiers and socioecological tradeoffs for restoration of fire adapted forests

We used spatial optimization to analyze alternative restoration scenarios and quantify tradeoffs for a large, multifaceted restoration program to restore resiliency to forest landscapes in the western US. We specifically examined tradeoffs between provisional ecosystem services, fire protection, and the amelioration of key ecological stressors. The results revealed that attainment of multiple restoration objectives was constrained due to the joint spatial patterns of ecological conditions and socioeconomic values. We also found that current restoration projects are substantially suboptimal, perhaps the result of compromises in the collaborative planning process used by federal planners, or operational constraints on forest management activities. The juxtaposition of ecological settings with human values generated sharp tradeoffs, especially with respect to community wildfire protection versus generating revenue to support restoration and fire protection activities. The analysis and methods can be leveraged by ongoing restoration programs in many ways including: 1) integrated prioritization of restoration activities at multiple scales on public and adjoining private lands, 2) identification and mapping of conflicts between ecological restoration and socioeconomic objectives, 3) measuring the efficiency of ongoing restoration projects compared to the optimal production possibility frontier, 4) consideration of fire transmission among public and private land parcels as a prioritization metric, and 5) finding socially optimal regions along the production frontier as part of collaborative restoration planning.

Geotechnical Considerations in Shoreline Protection and Land Reclamation in Kula, Eastern Niger Delta

The investigation is to determine the suitability of the study site for the design and construction of a shoreline protection and also carry out reclamation exercise at the adjoining lands. Nine (9) number boreholes were drilled to a maximum depth of 20.0 m below the existing ground level using a cable percussion rig and nine (9) numbers Cone Penetrometer Testing using 2.5 tonne CPT equipment. The lithology reveals intercalations of clay and sand in thin layers to a depth of 2.0 m below the existing ground level. Only borehole 3 revealed the clay layer to a depth of 5.0 m. Underlying this clay is a stratum of loose to medium dense sand and dense sand. The sand is well sorted grading from fine to medium as the borehole advances. The laboratory analysis showed that the silty clay has undrained shear strength of 48 kPa. The loose sand has a maximum SPT (N) value of 12 while the medium dense sand has maximum SPT (N) value of 28. Considering the nature of the intended structure, the anticipated load and the moderate compressibility of this near surface silty clay and the underlying loose silty sand, it is suggested that the cellar slab be supported by means of raft foundation founded within the clay layer. Where the proposed project precludes the use of raft foundation, pile foundation should be employed to transmit the anticipated load from the cellar slab to the underlying sand stratum and that such piles should be closed-ended, straight-shaft steel pipe piles driven into the sand stratum and all driven piles should undergo pile load test to confirm their working load and consequent estimated settlement.

Greening the roadway: an assimilated planning approach and techniques based on spatiality

The special attribute of environmental parameters having no spatial or temporal boundary is what caters to the inter-relationship between various kinds and patterns of adjoining land uses. Understanding of the magnitude and directional flow of impact has given rise to an interlinked conceptual base to plan for a greener roadway in an Indian perspective. The inter-linkages as established in this study are between road runoff and liquid waste from adjacent settlements; vehicular emission of greenhouse gas, air pollutants and noise and exposure of road side dwellers to the same due to lack of adequate sink or abatement measures; huge amount of ground water extraction for road construction at a time and conflicts with local users, etc. These parallel moving issues have been addressed through simultaneous multi-approach (SMA) solution. It involves meticulous spatial arrangement of paved and unpaved surface within the right of way (RoW) and use of integrated management system for tapping road runoff and creating emission sink; utilisation of special material combination for reduction in air pollutants; innovative techniques and simultaneous approaches to manage liquid and solid waste generated in the vicinity; devise reparation activities to compensate for usage of natural resources, etc.

Large mammal use of protected and community-managed lands in a biodiversity hotspot

In large parts of the biodiversity-rich tropics, various forest governance regimes often coexist, ranging from governmental administration to highly decentralized community management. Two common forms of such governance are protected areas, and community lands open to limited resource extraction. We studied wildlife occurrences in the north-east Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, where the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (EWS) is situated adjacent to community lands governed by the Bugun and Sherdukpen tribes. We conducted transect-based mammal sign surveys and camera trapping for mammals (>0.5 kg), and interviewed members of the resident tribes to understand their hunting practices and causes of wildlife declines. Interviews indicated hunting-mediated declines in the abundances of mammals such as the tiger Panthera tigris, gaur Bos gaurus and river otters Lutrogale and Aonyx species. Larger species such as B. gaurus were much more abundant within EWS than outside of it. Community-managed lands harbored smaller bodied species, including some of conservation importance such as the red panda Ailurus fulgens, clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa and golden cat Pardofelis temminckii. Our findings show that protected areas may have important non-substitutive values but adjoining community-managed lands may also have important conservation values for a different set of species.

Changes in management practices over time explain most variation in vegetation of field margins in Brittany, France

Studies of the effects of modern agriculture on biodiversity have generally lacked a historical perspective. Field margins have considerable ecological significance in agriculture-dominated landscapes, but are affected by interaction with management practices in the margin and on adjoining land. This study investigated the time period over which changes in management practices best explains the occurrence of 40 plant species now commonly found in 311 field margins of Zone Atelier Armorique, Brittany, France. Five management practices were surveyed every year since 1995. Species occurrence was recorded in 2007, 2011 and 2013 and related by means of GLMMs to management practices over time, up to a maximum of 12 years, i.e., scores of field margins on the two first axes of correspondence analysis (CA) performed on management practices. Model selection using AIC criteria allowed us to identify the time period over which to consider management practices that best explain plant patterns. For one third of the common 40 plant species recorded, the time period over which to consider management practices was greater than one year. The rest of the species showed inconsistent patterns with high level of variability between 2007, 2011 and 2013. The time period tended to be longer for species with vegetative reproduction and for zoochorous species. Our results show that the long-term simultaneous monitoring of both vegetation and management practices is important to understand some ecological patterns that would be missed either in short-term studies or for studies that exclude management information. Our findings contribute to long-term strategies for management and conservation of field margins diversity by highlighting that different plant groups require management on particular timescales.

Identifying Nutrient Contributors in North Carolina&amp;rsquo;s Coastal Plain Blackwater Rivers

The goal of this study was to assess potential nitrogen and phosphorus contribution from point sources and non-point sources in North East Cape Fear River (NECFR) watershed in North Carolina. A watershed scale hydrologic model, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), was used to quantify Total Nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP) loadings to North Carolina’s Coastal Plain Blackwater Rivers. The model was calibrated to measured flow rate, TN, TP and suspended sediment concentrations. The model results suggest that nonpoint sources contribute more than 95% of the nutrient loads from the NECFR to the Lower Cape Fear River (LCFR), where low dissolved oxygen is a prime concern. Among the nonpoint sources, developed open space, forested wetland and agricultural land were responsible for approximately 20 to 35% of the total annual sediment loads (68838.60 tons) and the Total Phosphorus (TP) loads (452.20 tons) delivered to the LCFR. In addition forested wetlands, agricultural lands and forested lands contributed approximately 20 to 33% of the TN loads (3496.79 tons) to the river. While the forested wetlands assimilated more than 70% of the nutrient inputs, they also acted as sources of nutrients in the watershed. The results demonstrate that these wetlands were not substantially capable of trapping nutrient loading coming from adjoining lands for a longer period. Owing to the presence of more ditches, these wetlands functioned as a passive nutrient source by transporting significant amount of TN and TP into the river. However, these findings need to be further justified by conducting a field study to understand assimilative capacity of wetlands in the watershed.

The Formation of the Model Branding of the Territory under an Asymmetric Institutional Environment

Abstract Modern economics was expanded with a new direction of research, a problem of development and management of territories has become an actual problem. It should be noted, that the concept of “territory” is interpreted from a methodological point of view differently from the micro-level (city, town, destination) and meso-level (republic, district) to the macro level (country, continent). In our research we hold to the opinion that the territory is the lands of urban settlements and rural settlements, the adjoining common-use lands, recreational areas and other lands within the boundaries of the municipality, regardless of their purpose and forms of ownership, so we talk about the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan.

Origin of cold bias over the Arabian Sea in Climate Models.

Almost all climate models in Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project phase five (CMIP5) were found to have a cold bias in Sea Surface Temperature (SST) over the northern Arabian Sea, which is linked to the biases in the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM). This cold SST bias was attributed to the anomalous cold winds from the north-western part of south Asian landmass during boreal winter. However, the origin of the anomalously strong cold winds over the Arabian Sea and its association with the large-scale circulation is obscure. Here we show that an equatorward bias in subtropical Jetstream during boreal spring season anomalously cools down the northern Arabian Sea and adjoining land regions in CMIP5 models. The models with stronger equatorward bias in subtropical jet are also the ones with stronger cold SST bias over the Arabian Sea. The equatorward shift coupled with enhanced strength of the subtropical jet produce a stronger upper tropospheric convergence, leading to a subsidence and divergence at lower levels over the Arabian deserts. The low entropy air flowing from the Arabian land mass cools the northern Arabian Sea. The weaker meridional temperature gradients in the colder models substantially weaken ISM precipitation.

MODELLING URBAN GROWTH FROM MEDIUM RESOLUTION LANDSAT IMAGERIES OF AKURE, NIGERIA

The city of Akure has experienced rapid growth in the past 2 to 3 decades which has led to the expansion of the core urban areas of the city into adjoining rural lands. The paper analyses the urban growth of Akure using medium resolution Landsat imageries. Landsat (MSS), Landsat Thematic Mapping(TM) and Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) images for 1972, 1986 and 2002 respectively were used in a post-classification comparison analysis to map the spatial dynamic of land cover changes and identify the urbanization process in Akure. The land cover statistical results revealed a rapid growth in the built-up area of Akure from 997.2 hectares in 1972 to about 3852.70 hectares in 2002 due to increase in population of Akure within this period. Results of the prediction showed that the built-up area of the city has increased in size from 977.2 hectares in 1972 to 5863.66 hectares in 2022 corresponding to 500% at the rate of 13.1% per annum. Implications of growth include loss of open space, pressure on limited infrastructure, overcrowding, traffic congestion and poor standard of living. The study recommends regular monitoring of urban area, development of small towns around the city area to avoid overcrowding, training of planners and administrators to acquire more knowledge in the use of GIS and remote sensing to enhance efficiency.

A brief introduction to London’s underground railways and land use

The most common perception of London’s underground railways and land use is that the railway stimulated suburban development and growth of the city. However, the interface between the railway, private property interests, and urban and suburban development is much more complicated than this. This paper introduces a brief overview of the interrelationship between the railway and land use in the central zone of London and some of the complexities involved with the presence of the railway and the development or use of adjoining lands. As this topic appears to be little discussed, evidence is used from London Underground records and specialist knowledge to form the argument that the topic should have greater discussion academically and practically.

Consequences of sea level and climate changes on the morphodynamics of a tropical coastal lagoon during Holocene: An evolutionary model

Vembanad Lagoon is the largest backwater system in the southwestern coast of India, and it is one of the wetlands of international importance, as defined by the Ramsar Convention. The coastal area encompassing the Vembanad Lagoon comprises a spectrum of barrier islands, ridges and swales, lagoons, and flood plains. The lagoon and its adjoining coastal lands are known for economically viable deposits of ilmenite rich beach placers, lime shells, and high purity silica sands. The sedimentological, palynological, and geochronological studies reveal that the sea level and climate changes have brought significant modifications in the geomorphic settings of the system. The depositional regimes and the evolutionary phases showed marked differences in the northern and southern reaches of the Lagoon. The geomorphological settings, occurrence of a suite of major heavy minerals (sillimanite + opaque) and predominance of marine elements in the palynological assemblage in the southern reach of the lagoon are indicative of barrier spit development, which is further influenced by reworked Neogene sediments with characteristic sillimanite–opaque heavy mineral suite of khondalitic affinity. The northern half evolved during the transgressive–regressive events of Early–Middle Holocene from a sheltered coastal water body surrounded by thick coastal vegetation. The opaque–inosilicate dominant heavy mineral suite in the northern sector indicates contribution of sediments from charnokitic source rocks in the area north of the Achankovil Shear Zone. The proposed four stage evolutionary model of the Vembanad Lagoon indicates that it evolved from an embayment of the Arabian Sea by the progradation and development of a barrier spit during transgressive–regressive cycles under heavy rainfall events of the Holocene.

Selection of anthropogenic features and vegetation characteristics by nesting Common Ravens in the sagebrush ecosystem

Common Raven (Corvus corax) numbers and distribution are increasing throughout the sagebrush steppe, influencing avian communities in complex ways. Anthropogenic structures are thought to increase raven populations by providing food and nesting subsidies, which is cause for concern because ravens are important nest predators of sensitive species, including Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). During 2007–2009, we located raven nests in southeastern Idaho and conducted a resource selection analysis. We measured variables at multiple spatial scales for 72 unique nest locations, including landscape-level vegetation characteristics and anthropogenic structures. Using generalized linear mixed models and an information-theoretic approach, we found a 31% decrease in the odds of nesting by ravens for every 1 km increase in distance away from a transmission line. Furthermore, a 100-m increase in distance away from the edge of two different land cover types decreased the odds of nesting by 20%, and an increase in the amount of edge by 1 km within an area of 102.1 ha centered on the nest increased the odds of nesting by 49%. A post hoc analysis revealed that ravens were most likely to nest near edges of adjoining big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and land cover types that were associated with direct human disturbance or fire. These findings contribute to our understanding of raven expansion into rural environments and could be used to make better-informed conservation decisions, especially in the face of increasing renewable energy development.

MANNING'S 'n' FOR STAGGERED FLEXIBLE EMERGENT VEGETATION

Vegetation along a coastline could offer significant protection of the adjoining land area against natural hazards such as storm surge and tsunami. In this context, the flexibility of the individual that stems within the green belt is understood to play an important role in the attenuation of momentum of the incoming waves. The physics of which, is yet to be understood completely. Difficulty in modeling the rigidity of the plantations, both numerically and experimentally, is the main cause for this lack of understanding. In the present work, a detailed laboratory study is taken up to examine the resistance characteristics of a group of model slender flexible cylinders. The individual cylinders of the group were fixed to the bed in a staggered configuration. The size, vegetation density and the elastic modulus of the individual stems were chosen such that the tests covered the practical ranges of vegetation in coastal forestry. The Manning's n for different flow conditions as well as for vegetative parameters was obtained from the physical tests in uniform steady current. The results clearly bring out the variation of flow resistance in terms of flow velocity, density of plantation, individual stem diameter and its elastic property. A new empirical relationship is proposed for estimation of Manning's n for staggered flexible emerging plantations which is valid for depths of flow greater than 0.8 times the undeflected plant height.

A brief introduction to London’s underground railways and land use

The most common perception of London’s underground railways and land use is that the railway stimulated suburban development and growth of the city. However, the interface between the railway, private property interests, and urban and suburban development is much more complicated than this. This paper introduces a brief overview of the interrelationship between the railway and land use in the central zone of London and some of the complexities involved with the presence of the railway and the development or use of adjoining lands. As this topic appears to be little discussed, evidence is used from London Underground records and specialist knowledge to form the argument that the topic should have greater discussion academically and practically.

`Kaye v Lawrence` revisited: The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 and the revolution of 1894

As the High Court itself anticipated, two-and-a-half years ago the judgment of Mr Justice Ramsey in Kaye v Lawrence [2010] EWHC 2678 (TCC) generated much interest among party wall surveyors, in particular the perceived extension of the availability of ‘security for expenses’ to an adjoining owner where a building owner is carrying out work entirely on his own land. The issue of security for expenses is to some extent merely the tip of the iceberg, being one logical outcome of a defining of the relationship of established common law rights with rights conferred by the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. The judgment is in fact a mine (some may say minefield) of long-awaited clarification on a number of matters that have sharply divided party wall surveyors for years. Mr Justice Ramsey's ruling gives clear guidance not only on the application of security for expenses but also rights of access onto an adjoining owner's land in order to carry out works on the building owner's land and the authority of surveyors to deal with insurance by the building owner and the design team. Uncertainty and differences of opinion between appointed surveyors on fundamental matters are unhelpful to parties caught up in the Act and can lead to significant unnecessary costs for the hapless building owner. Party wall surveyors of all persuasions would better serve the parties who appoint them and the intention of parliament by welcoming the clarity given by the few cases that reach the higher courts and then applying it with the practical even-handedness for which they are justly regarded by the judiciary.

Modifications in selected soil attributes as influenced by long-term continuous cropping in a calcareous semiarid environment

Intensified agriculture and irrigation practices over a long-term are an important factor in soil change phenomena that can appear some unwanted effects on soil attributes. To examine this hypothesis, physicochemical properties and clay mineralogy of four major soil types (Typic Haploxerepts, Typic Xerorthents, Typic Calcixerepts, and Fluventic Haploxerepts) under sunflower cultivation over five decades and adjoining virgin lands were investigated in order to monitor changes caused by long-term cropping. The comparison of cultivated soils and virgin lands indicated that cultivation resulted in an increase in clay (3–28 %) and silt (3–25 %) content, along with a decrease in sand content (2–17 %), resulting of the cultivation practices. For most of the examined soils, soil pH and calcium carbonate equivalent were marginally increased as 0.1–0.23 unit and 4–26 mg kg−1, respectively, following intensive cropping. A relative depletion was manifested in mean value of soil organic carbon (4–18 %), soluble K (47–197 %), exchangeable K (21–34 %), available K (20–34 %), potassium absorption ratio (43–45 %), and exchangeable potassium percentage (26–54 %) due to continuous sunflower cropping. Comparing with the virgin lands, the cultivated soils showed a considerable rise in electrical conductivity (18–122 %), sodium absorption ratio (18–122 %), exchangeable Na (4–48 %), and exchangeable sodium percentage (10–47 %) likely due to the chemistry of the irrigation water used, as well as the chemical interaction between the irrigation water and its receiving soils. Over the five decades of cultivation, some changes in the X-ray diffraction pattern of illite and smectite were observed mainly as result of cropping and K depletion as well as alternating wet–dry periods induced by irrigation practices.

Urban development in karst and collapse-prone geologic environments

The development of marginal land necessitated by urban sprawl is producing undesirable consequences derived from inadequate design or construction, or both, of storm water systems in karst and collapse-prone geologic environments. The St. Peters, Missouri karst area is presented as an example. Sufficient knowledge of the geohydrologic setting, combined with proper planning of water discharge, is essential for engineers, developers, and property owners when developing storm water drainage systems. The design of community and individual storm water drainage systems, lot sizes, roads, and selection of vegetative cover are controlled more often by economics and aesthetics than by existing natural conditions. Frequently, the geohydrologic character of the bedrock, composition and stability of the surficial material, existing topography, and adjoining land use may not fully be considered. Improper design and location of storm drainage discharge leads to sinkhole development as well as increased erosion. In developed karst settings with thick loess deposits, residential lot sizes are frequently too small to control erosion; the structures and infrastructure tend to be located adjacent to valley walls and on steeply sloping topography. The vegetative cover is typically stripped, promoting slope instability, resulting in increased erosion and mass wasting. Road placement, structure location, and drainage design can direct surface water to infiltrate localized areas of surficial materials. This promotes adhesive dissolution in weakly cemented loess, resulting in slope instability and eventual collapse. It is clear that three factors influencing collapses are frequently overlooked in the development of marginal land areas. First, it is essential to recognize the presence of soluble bedrock that exhibits a high degree of secondary permeability. Second, loess is weakly cemented and it loses cohesiveness with water infiltration, making it more erodible and collapse-prone. Third, the hydrology of the site is closely associated with the bedrock and surficial material and significantly influences the occurrence of subsidence and collapse events.